"I'm an old, tired broad. I do my thing. I know what I am, but television has changed," said Sherman-Palladino, who added that Bunheads' slow pace was similar to her previous hit. "Gilmore Girls was three acts and a teaser. We are six acts and a teaser. The actual structure of television has changed. ... There is just now more plot pushed into shows."

Just because television has changed doesn't mean Sherman-Palladino plans to shift with it. "I've never written to act breaks. It's not my style," she said. "I want the story to unfold the way I hear it in the 20 voices in my head."

Although she noted "nobody's dying at the end of every single act," she did point to the eventual midseason finale, in which Sasha returned to class, Boo and Carl (finally) got together, and Michelle left town after accidentally spraying her dance students with mace. "I've always believed that if you burn through all of your plot in one episode, how do you get five years out of a show?" she said. "Longevity is important for someone with my Neiman's bills."